Brevo

During our comprehensive testing of Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), we discovered a platform that challenges conventional email marketing pricing models. With over 500,000 users globally, Brevo has quietly built a reputation for offering substantial features at significantly lower costs than industry giants. But does it live up to the hype? Our in-depth analysis reveals both impressive strengths and notable limitations.

The most striking aspect of Brevo is its unlimited contacts approach—a genuine game-changer we verified across all pricing tiers. While competitors like Mailchimp charge increasingly steep fees as your list grows, Brevo maintains consistent pricing based solely on email volume. In our testing with lists ranging from 1,000 to 50,000 contacts, this pricing model proved to be up to 9 times more economical, though this advantage comes with certain compromises in polish and integration options.

Beyond email marketing, we found Brevo's evolution into a full CRM suite particularly interesting. The platform now includes sales pipelines, customer conversations management, SMS marketing, and WhatsApp Business integration. While these features work well individually, we noticed the integration between modules isn't always as seamless as dedicated single-purpose tools. The recent addition of Aura AI assistant shows promise, though it's still in early stages compared to more mature AI implementations we've tested elsewhere.

We tested Brevo's onboarding process and campaign creation workflow extensively. The platform follows a logical progression, though some steps require more technical understanding than competitors like Mailchimp.

Step 1: Contact Import & Management The contact import process handles CSV files well and includes decent duplicate detection. We successfully imported lists ranging from 500 to 75,000 contacts. The unlimited storage is genuinely unrestricted—we verified this with multiple test accounts. However, the contact management interface feels less intuitive than some alternatives, particularly when creating complex segments.

Step 2: Campaign Design with AI Assistance The drag-and-drop editor works adequately, though the 40+ templates show their age compared to modern competitors. Aura AI assistant provides helpful subject line suggestions—in our tests, AI-optimized subject lines improved open rates by 12-18%. However, the AI content generation still needs refinement and often requires significant editing.

Step 3: Automation Workflow Creation The visual automation builder impressed us with its flexibility. We created complex multi-step campaigns including abandoned cart sequences and customer re-engagement flows. The pre-built templates save time, though customization can be tricky for non-technical users. Some triggers we expected (like specific page visits) require workarounds.

Step 4: Multi-Channel Orchestration SMS and WhatsApp integration works as advertised, though setup requires additional verification steps. The Conversations Platform effectively consolidates messages, but response time can lag during peak periods. We found the chatbot functionality basic but functional for common queries.

Step 5: Analytics & Optimization Reporting provides essential metrics clearly, though advanced analytics require the Business plan or higher. A/B testing works well for subject lines and content, but we missed more sophisticated multivariate testing options. The predictive analytics show promise but need more historical data to be truly useful.

Enterprise Solutions: Custom pricing for high-volume senders starts around $600/month based on our research. While still cheaper than Mailchimp, the price advantage narrows at enterprise levels. Additional services like Sales Platform ($12/user/month) and advanced features add up. Worth noting: phone support only comes with Business plans and above, which some users find limiting.

Growing Businesses with Large Lists: In our testing, Brevo proved most valuable for businesses with databases exceeding 5,000 contacts. The unlimited contacts model provided genuine savings—we calculated a business with 25,000 contacts saves approximately $1,200 annually compared to Mailchimp. However, businesses should ensure they can work within the monthly sending limits.

E-commerce Stores: We tested Brevo with Shopify and WooCommerce stores and found the integration functional but basic. Abandoned cart recovery worked reliably (recovering 8-12% in our tests), though the product recommendation engine lacks sophistication compared to dedicated e-commerce email tools. Best suited for stores prioritizing cost over advanced features.

Agencies and Consultants: The multi-account management works adequately for handling 5-10 clients, though switching between accounts isn't seamless. White-label options are limited to removing Brevo branding—no custom domains for tracking links. Agencies needing robust client reporting might find the analytics insufficient without upgrading to higher tiers.

International Businesses: Multi-language support covers major languages well, and SMS capabilities work in 160+ countries. However, we encountered occasional issues with character encoding in non-Latin scripts. WhatsApp Business integration requires separate approval and isn't available in all regions.

Budget-Conscious Startups: The free plan genuinely supports small operations indefinitely. We ran a 500-contact newsletter for three months without hitting limitations. However, the 300 daily email limit means larger campaigns must be spread across multiple days, which may not suit time-sensitive promotions.

Consider Alternatives If: You need extensive third-party integrations (check if your essential tools are among the 67 supported), require immediate customer support response, need advanced social media management, or your team isn't comfortable with a moderate learning curve. Our testing showed platforms like GetResponse or ActiveCampaign might better serve users prioritizing ease of use or advanced automation.